Skip to main content

Join Freezer Meal Pro today for a one-time fee!

Join Now

Want to simplify the busy back-to-school season?  Stock your freezer with crockpot freezer meals!  Here are 31 crockpot recipes that I’ve tried myself (grocery list included!).

31 Crockpot Freezer Meals for Back-to-School

First, three reasons I love crockpot freezer meals:

  1. There’s no cooking required ahead of time so they’re super easy to make.  Simply combine the ingredients in plastic freezer bags and freeze for up to three months.
  2. They cook for the first time out of the freezer and don’t taste like leftovers at all.
  3. I can save money by buying the ingredients in bulk.

Since I’ve made hundreds of crockpot freezer meals, I decided to compile a list of 31 favorites that would be perfect to eat during the busy back-to-school season.  These are all healthy meals that I feel good serving my family.

31 Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Crockpot Freezer Meals

If you’re nervous about mixing raw meat and vegetables, don’t be.  I did a lot of research when I was writing my No Cook Freezer Meals cookbook and, according to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, freezing to 0 °F inactivates any microbes present in food (such as bacteria, yeasts, and molds).  That means freezing raw meat with vegetables, sauces, and spices is perfectly safe. (You can find more info on food safety here.)

I’ve tried every single one of these recipes myself and they’re healthy, delicious, and easy to make.  Enjoy!

31 Crockpot Freezer Meals for Back-to-School

  1. Chicken Curry
  2. Honey Dijon Chicken (from my CROCK’D Slow Cooker Freezer Meals eBook)
  3. Cranberry Pork Roast
  4. Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps
  5. Turkey and Black Bean Chili
  6. Cheesy Chicken Tater Tot Casserole (from The Country Cook)
  7. Shredded BBQ Chicken
  8. Meatball Veggie Soup
  9. White Chicken Chili (from Money Saving Mom)
  10. Chicken Fajitas
  11. Chicken Philly Cheesesteaks
  12. Beef and Barley Stew (from Live Simply)
  13. Beef Roast and Carrots
  14. Mushroom Spinach Stroganoff
  15. Greens & Beans
  16. Chicken Teriyaki
  17. Cranberry Chicken
  18. Thai Peanut Chicken (from Mommy’s Fabulous Finds)
  19. Turkey, White Bean, and Kale Soup
  20. Stuffed Peppers
  21. Salsa Verde Chicken (only 5 ingredients!)
  22. BBQ Chicken Cornbread Casserole
  23. Sweet and Sour Meatballs (based on this recipe from Once a Month Meals)
  24. Red Pepper Chicken
  25. Ginger-Peach Chicken
  26. Honey Sesame Chicken (from Damn Delicious)
  27. Ham and Potato Soup
  28. Italian Wedding Soup
  29. Southwestern Pork Chili
  30. Cabbage Casserole (one of our favorites)
  31. Hawaiian Pork Chops

If you’re motivated to prep and freeze all 31 at once, I typed up exactly how I assemble and cook each meal into a printable pdf (I even included a full grocery list!):

You can also find tons of freezer recipes, tips, and nutrition info in my best-selling freezer eCookbooks.

Thoughts or questions?  Please leave a comment below and I’ll respond as soon as I can. 


PS A reader created mini versions of some of the recipes that can be printed on white sticker labels.  Here’s the file: Sticker Labels

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

524 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Rosa
Rosa
8 years ago

OMG!! You might be my lifesaver! I’m a teacher who is getting ready to go back to school and already I’m stressing out on what to feed my family. My days are long and I’m not very good at thinking ahead when it comes to dinners. I love my slow cooker and try to use it as often as I can. I’m going to give your recipes a go and hopefully destress dinner time! Thanks!

Molly
Molly
8 years ago
Reply to  Kelly McNelis

Hi! Can you help us know how much time we add to the recipes (assuming they are being thrown in the crockpot in the morning, completely frozen.) Thank you!

Shera Peterson
8 years ago
Reply to  Kelly McNelis

Why couldn’t you just but the meat when you will be preparing a recipe and not add to the other ingredients?

Molly
Molly
8 years ago
Reply to  Kelly McNelis

Thank you for taking the time to reply!

Scott
Scott
8 years ago
Reply to  Kelly McNelis

I’ve been doing it for years, and have not had one single problem. No one in my family has ever gotten sick from doing so…….
Whole beef roast frozen, 1/2 cup water, onion soup mix, potatoes and carrots, low for 8hrs…..Wa-la! Perfection!

Mark
Mark
8 years ago
Reply to  Kelly McNelis

Also frozen meat will be tough.

Sandie
8 years ago
Reply to  Kelly McNelis

Wow!!!!! I did not know this!!!!! i have cooked frozen meat in my Crockpot for years. I have never read or heard this! I will try and put something out of the freezer and in the refrigereater the nightt before from now on! Thank you for this information!

adrienne
adrienne
8 years ago
Reply to  Kelly McNelis

I do it all the time for the last 30yrs im still alive

Cathy
Cathy
7 months ago
Reply to  adrienne

Been doing it for 60 years with absolutely no problem, and the meat is fall-off-the-bone TENDER!

Janine
Janine
8 years ago
Reply to  Kelly McNelis

As a busy chef in a restaurant I too blank out when I get home to feed my family. I use a slow cooker a lot especially in the.hot days of summer. I love this concept and will adapt to my own recipies. I whole heartedly agree with NOT cooking frozen meat. All potentially hazardous foods must be kept in safe zones. Frozen meat will not come to the proper temps fast enough to stop harmful bacteria from growing. You are potentially growing a food borne illness by doing so. It’s like leaving a turkey out overnight to thaw. Don’t… Read more »

Kathy
Kathy
1 year ago
Reply to  Molly

Take your bag out the freezer (with the ingredients) and put it in the fridge the night before to thaw out. Then put it in the crockpot in the morning.

Beth pease
8 years ago
Reply to  Kelly McNelis

i would love to talk to you about the Ez Bag it your currently using ( Green Bag Holders )
I’m the owner of Ezbeesoultions and we ship most orders the same day on the Ez bag It. We are currently in 21 States. Check out our face book page and our website.
Thanks
EZBEE

Elaine Cooper
Elaine Cooper
8 years ago
Reply to  Kelly McNelis

Kelly, thank you for the great idea and recipes. I have one cleanup tip. If you load your meal in a crockpot liner first , you can push the air and twist shut. Put in your ziplock and freeze. Take it out of freezer, place in your crockpot. When done, throw away the bag for easy cleanup.

Barb
Barb
6 years ago
Reply to  Elaine Cooper

To get the air out, you can also place the filled CROCKPOT LINER into a bowl of water & allow the water pressure along the sides to push the air out, then twist tie it closed. Wipe off outside with a paper towel & place inside Ziploc bag to freeze.

If you label the CROCKPOT LINER with the food name and date prepped, you can reuse the Ziploc bags without issue or worry about a cross-contamination of foods.

Taryn
Taryn
6 years ago
Reply to  Barb

Great tip!

Heidi
Heidi
8 years ago
Reply to  Rosa

I hear you, Rosa! After working at school yesterday, I told the kids they could have breakfast for supper because I just couldn’t think of something fast (and I may have lacked the energy to make it). Unfortunately, that meant that they ate waffles. You win some, you lose some. This is a game changer! It should make my weekly meal prep much easier, too!

Brianna
Brianna
8 years ago
Reply to  Rosa

Sounds great to me too. Teacher/grad student always looking for a good reason to use the crock pot!!

Brenda Nicholas
Brenda Nicholas
8 years ago
Reply to  Rosa

I saw a picture on one of the links for a brown sugar meatloaf I could freeze then bake in the oven. Where can I find this recipe at? Thank you!

Tammy
Tammy
8 years ago

I thought you weren’t supposed to freeze meatloaf mix Bc it has eggs in it?

S Kohnlein
S Kohnlein
7 years ago
Reply to  Tammy

I do it all the time and have never had a problem. No difference between meatloaf and frozen cookie dough. I make a double since meatloaf, portion it out into mini loaf pans, top with bab sauce and freeze. I just thaw one overnight in the fridge, pop in in a 9×13 along with veggies for roasting and bake for an hour. It’s just my husband and I so this works great for us.

Mrs q
Mrs q
8 years ago

I’m not a very savvy slow-cooker user but some of these sound delicious. Do you need to thaw the ingredients before adding to the slow cooker, or add in ingredients fully frozen? I worry that the meat will take forever to cook.

Sydney
Sydney
8 years ago
Reply to  Kelly McNelis

This was the answer I was looking for I was confused if you threw them in there frozen or not haha. But another question with thawing them out over night some ingredients don’t get soggy and absorb the other things thawing making them taste funny? Example: tater tots in the tater tot casserole absorbing the chicken. Might sound silly but I’m curious.

Lauren
Lauren
7 years ago
Reply to  Kelly McNelis

Hi! Do you put the cheese and milk in the freezer bag too? I thought maybe the cheese would be okay, but I don’t know whether to freeze the milk in the bag or just pour it over everything once its in the slow cooker.

Jill Petrush Rogers
7 years ago
Reply to  Lauren

Lauren, yep! Throw it all in the bag!!

Lori Medlock
Lori Medlock
8 years ago
Reply to  Mrs q

You can put a WHOLE FROZEN chicken in a crock pot by itself…no watet or anything and cook on low all day…does not stick, makes its own broth and is falling off the bone. I love to put in potatoes, carrots and onions and some mushroom soup. Let it cook all day on low. AMAZING.

Kelly B
Kelly B
8 years ago
Reply to  Lori Medlock

What about adding uncooked rice? Will it cook up in juice?

Colleen
Colleen
8 years ago
Reply to  Mrs q

I always throw them in to the crock pot frozen and have never had a problem. When I get up I take the bag out of the freezer and throw it in the sink for an hour while I get ready, then the meal slides out of the bag easier.

MJ Williams
MJ Williams
8 years ago
Reply to  Colleen

i luv doing the homemade frozen dinners ….. if i forget the night b4 to take it out to thaw, i run the bag under some hot water n it slides right out 🙂

Kimberly
Kimberly
8 years ago
Reply to  Colleen

I like the idea of throwing the meal in frozen. However if you throw the meal in frozen, how long (and on what temp–high or low) do you cook the meal? I imagine it’s a longer cooking time than if it’s defrosted.

Susanne Wirth
Susanne Wirth
8 years ago
Reply to  Kelly McNelis

Thaw first for infection prevention. Frozen chicken in crockpot is incubating all the germs for which chicken is notorious. And, for the same reason, do not wash chicken…that spreads their bacteria all over the kitchen. Review food safety on Drexel University website. http://drexel.edu/dontwashyourchicken/

Honeyko
Honeyko
8 years ago
Reply to  Mrs q

I does not take long for something to thaw in a cooker, relative to the time overall to cook it, if that time is going to be more than an hour anyway.

Renee
Renee
8 years ago
Reply to  Mrs q

I don’t thaw. I place in crockpot on high frozen for 8-hours and its has always been completely done. I don’t see a need for thawing. If I’m wrong p,ease let me know. I’m in a hurry in the morning and put in crockpot and on high and go to work and when I get home it’s usually ready.

Theresa @DearCreatives

I haven’t tried a lot of freezer meals since there is only 3 of us but, I love crock pot meals and this just might be perfect for when I’m extra busy. Thanks for the round up! Saving for later.

Kim
Kim
8 years ago

Can you give the names of the recipes in the picture of bags? I can’t do all 31 right now, but like the looks of the one with peas and the one with navy beans.

Chantall
Chantall
8 years ago

About how many people do these recipes serve? Family of 4?

Tricia
Tricia
8 years ago

How many does each meal feed? I have a family of 6 and need to be sure I don’t have to add more to accommodate all of us.

Tina
Tina
6 years ago
Reply to  Kelly McNelis

Each of your recipes tends to make 2 meals for my family of three – we eat one on the night we slow cook it, and then usually can freeze the other half (already cooked) for a 2nd night down the road. Potatoes don’t freeze well, or mushrooms, but usually they refreeze well once cooked.